To Follow
by Takianna
Summary: Captain Rex and Ahsoka are captured. Just a short little story.


**To Follow**

Step right, step left …

Just a few more feet before his gloved fingers could touch the door release.

Step right, step left …

Rex clenched his eyes shut against the gas that was filling the room. They were trying to knock everyone in the room out and had succeed except for him.

Step right, step left …

He fell to his knees, reaching his fingers to hit the button. There was a swish as he fell down face first into the permacrete floor and the door opened, letting in a rush of clean air that would drive the gas from the room. That one had been close, Rex thought as he coughed loudly. Next time, his helmet would not come off until he knew they were clear. Why had he forgotten so much of his training on the battlefield? He was getting weak and complacent with fighting.

When his lungs were cleared, Rex sat up looking around the small room. Ahsoka lay on the ground, her body sprawled prone. Sluggishly, he got to his feet and stumbled towards where she lay. This was his fault. He should've never led them into this dead end in the first place.

"Ahsoka!" he choked out shaking her as he collapsed again next to her. They didn't have much time. They had to move quickly.

She was unresponsive. Groaning, Rex pushed himself off the floor again, locating his helmet and sliding it over his head, he bent down to shoulder Ahsoka's dead weight. Using one hand to balance her, he pulled a blaster with his other hand and moved quickly towards the door.

Checking both ways of the hallway outside, he chose to go left down the corridor, the way the had come in. The sound of moving battledroids filled the building they had gone into for cover. Leading Ahsoka away from the other clones and into the building had a mistake in his judgement. He was sure General Skywalker would make him pay for it, if they both survived.

Rex stopped at another bend in the hallway and reshouldered Ahsoka's body, switching from the left shoulder to the right and trading the blaster pistol to the other hand. If he could just get down the stairwell, he would be able to meet up with the main group of clones and possibly get medical attention for Ahsoka.

Suddenly, everything shattered into small pin pricks of light and he felt himself tumbling to the ground, unable to stop himself or Ahsoka from crashing into the hard surface.

Rex awoke, arms bound behind his back, laying on a cold floor. Blinking his eyes several times, he tried to figure out what he was seeing in the semi darkness of the small room. Across from him was a door, and he could see a small bench. That was it. The room was evidently painted a drab sort of gray. Then he heard rustling next to him. He wasn't in there alone and he struggled to tuck his feet under his body and roll over so that he could stand. It was a rather difficult prospect, but he had to see who was being held in the room with him and be prepared to defend himself should the other person try to attack him.

With a little effort, he was finally up on his feet and saw the small body of a Togruta female laying on the ground. Ahsoka's arms were also bound behind her and she wasn't conscious yet. He rushed to her side and kneeled down.

"Ahsoka!" he said in a worried whisper. Damn binders, his hands were useless.

"Rex," Ahsoka replied grogely rolling onto her back. Her eyes were puffy underneath as though she had been punched in the face several times.

"Don't worry," he said fumbling to get his feet through his wrists so that he was bound in front. "I'll get us out of here."

"You can't," she said and followed in the same manner as she easily got her hands from behind her back.

"Why not?' Rex asked still struggling to get his hands in front of him. How did she do that so easily? Oh yeah, she was about 100 pounds lighter and not bound by all the armor. Blast, he hated being bound with his hands behind his back. Struggling, he finally got his feat through the binders and felt as though he had cracked several ribs along the way.

"There is no out of here Rex," Ahsoka said shaking her head. "We're on a ship."

Rex paused and felt the vibration rattling up through his boots. Oh no. They had gotten off of planet with the two of them. What was he gonna do now? It would probably be a rather long drop back to the surface of the planet.

"Man," Rex sighed heavily. They were stuck. He had never been so stuck in his life. There had always been a way out, something that he could do to make the odds change in his favor. Now, not even with a jedi, could he possibly get out of this situation. Life hadn't taken a rather strange turn.

"What now?" he asked her helplessly, looking into blue eyes which were far too young for what was going to happen to them both.

Ahsoka shurgged. He felt the same way. There was nothing to do but wait.

Rex hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep in his armor until the door to the room they were in jerked open. The scrapping noise woke him with a start. Quickly he was on his feet and looking at his captor. It was nothing more than a droid with a blaster pointed at them both.

"Tinnie," Rex snorted and looked at Ahsoka who was sitting on the floor looking at the droid. Rex didn't see the lithe woman entering behind the droid. Her pale skin shone in the darkness.

"No Captain," she purred in a dark voice which made a shiver run through his spine. "I'm no tinnie."

Ahsoka was on her feet now too and glaring at the woman. She knew who it was, evidently. Still the look in Ahsoka's eyes was that of pure hatred towards the woman. It made Rex take up a defensive stance. He had to protect Ahsoka.

"Skywalker's padawan," the pale woman purred. "What a prize to have retrieved. I'm sure he will miss you terribly."

Rex stepped in front of Ahsoka using all his might to try and protect her from whatever the woman had planned. He would use the last breath he had to make sure she was protected. It was his duty.

"Stay away from her," he ground out between gritted teeth.

"You are as insignificant as the machines which serve my master," the woman said coming closer to Rex, her hand extended to touch his helmet with lithe fingers. He wanted to recoil from her touch, but stood his ground trying to keep the woman from touching Ahsoka.

"I'm not insignificant," Rex blurted out through his helmet filter. "At least I'm not heartless as you seem to be."

The reaction was quick. If Rex would've blinked, he would've missed it. Her lightsaber, blood red in color, was out and at his neck before he could even get his hand to his blaster.

"She is Skywalker's padawan and it would irritate him more then anything for her to be destroyed at my hands," she purred to him, her face coming close to his helmet vizor. "Let me have her Captain."

Rex shook his head no, trying to keep from touching the blood red blade poised at his neck. Nothing would stop him from making sure Ahsoka was taken care of. General Skywalker had trusted him with her. He had a duty to do.

"If you won't do it willingly," she smirked lowering the weapon. "Perhaps I will force you to."

The feeling of an invisible hand around his neck made Rex's hands fly to his neck, trying desperately to get the fingers to release. Air was becoming precious and he felt his eyes becoming heavy. Consciousness would soon be gone. He would no longer be able to protect the small Togruta who was behind him. He had failed. To a clone there was nothing worse, not even death.

"Say goodbye to him," the woman purred down at Ahsoka, her voice never changing. "He won't be with us much longer."

Rex was only conscious enough to see the light dimming from Ahsoka's eyes at the thought of him being gone. There was nothing more he needed to see. She would not escape. He would not escape. Their fates were signed. Nothing more could be done. No amount of fight could make it any different. Rex was resigned to giving his life for the Grand Army of the Republic and now he was doing just that.

His lifeless body crumpled to the floor at the feet of the woman. He was no more and never would be again although he lived on in his brothers.


End file.
